Five Times Eve Thought About Kissing Dean Ambrose
by revivingophelia
Summary: ... and One Time She Did. Title pretty much says it all. 6-part story. Eve/Dean Ambrose. Starts in Dec. 2012. Story may stay in more of the K-plus range, but rated T just to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Five Times Eve Thought About Kissing Dean Ambrose (and One Time She Did)

Author: Karen U/revivingophelia

Pairing/Character: Eve/Dean Ambrose

Disclaimer: no one you recognize belongs to me

Rating: PG-13/T (likely more in the PG/K+ range, but just to be safe)

Summary: title pretty much says it all.

Spoilers: Dec. 2012-Dec. 2013

Warnings: some language

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Part One

_***December 10, 2012***_

She was pretty sure that everyone in the administration was laughing at her. SmackDown General Manager Booker T, his 'advisor' Teddy Long, and even Vickie Guerrero, who was technically in charge of RAW and had been ever since AJ Lee's short stint as GM had been (mercifully) ended.

She knew, of course, that none of them wanted the job she'd been given. The Shield was a volatile group, and they attacked people all the time, often seemingly at random. They wanted to make an impact in the WWE, and they were doing it one beat-down at a time. And now, as the TLC pay-per-view approached, they were going to be in their first-ever match on the main roster... And she was the one that had been assigned to tell them the stipulations for their match against Ryback and Team Hell No. Booker had been the one to tell that team what their match for TLC was, but he was too much of a wimp to seek out the Shield and tell them as well... Vickie had refused as well, and Teddy Long had been conveniently unavailable at the time. Which left her.

She was pretty sure that at least some of those she'd left behind in that office (including a miraculously no-longer-busy Teddy Long) were hoping that she'd end up triple powerbombed or something for her trouble.

Jerks.

Taking a deep breath, Eve Torres squared her shoulders and headed down the hallway, winding her way around, not at all sure where she would find the trio of men. After all, they didn't exactly stay in the locker room with the other guys. They really had nothing to do with anyone else. Yes, a week or so after they'd first shown up, they'd done a sit-down interview with Michael Cole, but other than that? They came and went as they pleased, and instead of doing interviews, they provided tapes they'd made themselves that were obviously filmed from somewhere in the building... It was just difficult to tell where exactly they were filmed. Which made Eve's task of tracking them down to tell them about their first-ever match on the WWE's main roster a bit more difficult than it would be if she were to be telling, oh, say... John Cena about his match. Of course, telling Cena about his match would likely lead to him calling her a hoeski and being a general jackass, and then she'd end up telling him that she hoped he was shoved off of a very high place through a couple of tables in the near future, and then he would call her even worse things and maybe make a completely stupid photoshop of her head on someone else's body and it would devolve from there. So, really, in the grand scheme of things, the potential of being powerbombed by the Shield really wasn't so bad because now that she thought about it, dealing with John Cena would be even worse. Really not a ringing endorsement for the WWE's so-called nice guy. Too bad 'nice guys' tended to be anything but nice.

Shaking her head, Eve turned down another hallway, the woman pausing as she saw two men dressed in black gear reminiscent of that of a SWAT team head off in the opposite direction... Her gaze quickly slid to the door they seemed to have been coming from, the woman frowning as she contemplated her options. First, she could go after them, talk to them in the hallway, which might potentially be safer. She could also wait for them to come back, then tell them about their match. Or, she could check and see if there was still a member of the group in the room and talk to just *him* instead of talking to two of them or all three of them. The more members of the group, the more potential for danger, right?

"Oh, just get it over with," Eve muttered to herself, the divas' champion making her way to the door, noting that it was cracked open, and she thought she could hear movement inside. Taking a deep breath, she lifted a hand to knock, doing so quickly, the motion causing the door to slip open just a little bit more... All sounds ceased in the room for a moment, and then she heard someone approach, the door being yanked open, Eve finding herself face to face with one of the members of the Shield.

Dean Ambrose looked her up and down, his lips curved in a bit of a frown. He quickly glanced down the hallway, looking almost as if he expected an ambush of some sort, which... Well, given how many times the Shield had ambushed people despite being on the main roster less than a month, she supposed she could see why they might be leery of an ambush, especially when they were currently separated. But really...

"If I was helping to set up an ambush, I wouldn't have knocked," Eve said calmly, keeping her voice matter-of-fact. The truth was, if she was going to be talking to any member of the Shield, the man in front of her was definitely not her first choice. All of them were dangerous, that much was obvious, but there was something about Ambrose that seemed to give him even more of an edge than the other two had. An edge that part of her found far too intriguing... Not that she would ever admit it.

He arched a brow at her, leaning against the frame of the door. It was clear that he didn't intend to invite her in, and that was fine with her. She wasn't sure she wanted to be in any type of enclosed area alone with the man, and from what she could tell, the room beyond his shoulder looked to be a storage closet.

"Since you came knocking on our door, I'm assuming you were looking for us?" he said, and Eve nodded, very aware that he was leaning a bit closer to her, but refusing to step back. She didn't want him to know that, intrigued by him or not, she also found him more than a little intimidating.

"I was. I was sent by the General Managers," she told him, and he gave her the slightest of smiles as he looked at her. Given her heels and the way he was standing, the man hunched over a bit as he leaned against the frame of the door, they were actually pretty close to eye to eye.

"What happened? You get the short straw?" he wanted to know, the man lifting a hand, Eve standing very still as he reached out to her, casually tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. She was pretty sure that he was trying to get a rise out of her, but she wasn't going to show that he had any effect on her, so instead of moving away or flinching, she just went on as if nothing had happened.

"I'm here to tell you what the stipulations for the match at TLC is," she informed him, her tone cool, and he sighed, shifting away from her slightly, frowning as she eased back a bit as well.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Ambrose told her, and Eve frowned.

"I never said you would."

"Maybe not. But your eyes told a different story. I don't hurt women. I like 'em too much," he said, then smirked slightly, looking her up and down again. "And I sure as hell wouldn't hurt you."

Eve rolled her eyes, not really realizing what she was doing until she'd already done it and caught the smile on Ambrose's face at her actions. Shaking her head slightly, she went back to the matter at hand. "As I said, I was sent to inform you of the stipulations for your match at the pay-per-view."

"We getting tables, ladders, or chairs?" he wanted to know, and Eve bit her lip, immediately stopping when she noted that drew his attention to her mouth.

She cleared her throat. "All of them, actually. They've decided that the match will be the Shield vs. Team Hell No and Ryback... In a tables, ladders, and chairs match," the woman told him, and he frowned, his brows furrowing slightly. Stepping back, he reached back into the room behind him, coming up with a bottle of water, the man then going back to leaning against the frame of the door.

"Isn't there usually something hanging over the ring in a match like that?" he wanted to know, and Eve nodded.

"That's true. In this case... It's going to be pinfall or submission only. Basically, it's a no disqualification six-man match in which the use of tables, ladders, and chairs is openly encouraged," she told him, and he actually smiled at her, a real smile, and it was enough to make her blink in surprise because... Well, he still looked dangerous, but in an entirely different way.

"You know, that sounds like my kind of match," he said, his smile widening as he nodded. "Yeah... Definitely like my kind of match." He arched a brow at her. "I'm guessing the big-wigs thought we wouldn't be pleased about that?"

"I think it may have crossed their minds."

"Well, too bad for them... Because the Shield? Is going to use TLC to show just how good we are and just how scared everyone else should be about facing us," he told her, the smile no longer so big, but still there, the man shifting a little closer to her again, though she didn't think it was done to intimidate her this time. And maybe it hadn't been done to intimidate her the first time, either; she couldn't be sure. But this time? It was just a shifting of his stance, the man moving a little closer to her, his eyes on her face... He lifted the bottle of water he'd retrieved earlier to his mouth, taking a drink from it, licking the excess from his bottom lip as he lowered the bottle, Eve's gaze drawn by the movement, the diva immediately - or almost immediately - lifting her gaze back to his because really she was not staring at his mouth... Even if it was kind of a nice mouth.

He arched a brow at her, something in his gaze making it clear that he'd noted where she was looking, much as she'd noted him looking at her lips earlier... The man smirking at her again, shifting a little closer to her, and Eve found herself shifting closer to him as well, her heels and his slouched stance putting them so close to the same level, close enough that she would just barely have to lift herself up to-

And what in the hell was she doing? What was she thinking? She didn't even know this guy, he was dangerous, and just because he had a nice mouth didn't mean she needed to get up close and personal with it. No matter how damn intriguing that part of her that refused to shut up found him.

Shaking herself, Eve took a step back, moving away from Ambrose, the man not lifting a hand to stop her, instead continuing to watch her calmly, and the diva cleared her throat.

"I... I should get back. I'm sure the others are waiting for me. I trust you'll tell the other Shield members about the match?"

"As soon as they get back," he told her, and Eve nodded, her gaze flicking to his mouth one more time before she spun on her heel and headed back down the hallway, back in the direction she'd come from, not looking back even once... But all too aware of the eyes that watched her as she walked away.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer, etc., in part 1.

Thanks to XxHoundsOfJusticexX, LadyEvil21, SilCJP, justkimmy, 1 Crazy Brunette Goddess, poetic heart 75, and dashinginconverse for the reviews. Hope you continue to enjoy this one.

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Part Two

_***Tables, Ladders, and Chairs pay-per-view - December 16, 2012***_

She smirked as she looked at what was happening on the monitor. She had no idea why AJ Lee had shoved John Cena off that ladder and cost the man his match against Dolph Ziggler, but she couldn't say that she didn't appreciate the sight.

With a shake of her head, Eve took a step back, her smirk growing into a full-fledged smile when she saw the looks of shock on the faces of some of the other divas. Clearly, they'd never expected AJ - who Eve was pretty sure was full-on insane - to turn against John Cena tonight. Had they not been watching her antics over the past six months or so or what? She'd practically stalked CM Punk, tossed both him and Daniel Bryan off of the turnbuckle and through a table, then went back to kissing them the next week. She'd even left Daniel Bryan at the altar. Face it... The woman was totally manipulative and off-balance and a pain in the butt. Any guy that got involved with AJ pretty much deserved what they got because if they didn't know how she was by now? They weren't paying any freaking attention.

Rolling her eyes, Eve reached down to gather her things, ignoring the glare she got from Kaitlyn as she picked up the divas' title... A title that still belonged to her. Her opponent for the night had been decided by a pre-show battle royal, and Kaitlyn had been none too happy when a slap from Eve had led to her getting knocked off the ring apron and getting eliminated. Not that Eve cared. She was sick of the crap that Kaitlyn had been slinging around about her for months, and she was sick of Kaitlyn acting like she was entitled to an endless amount of title shots. She'd already had three, and she'd lost them all. How many more did she expect to get? At least this way, the fans had gotten to see someone new get a shot at the title. And it wasn't like Naomi wasn't a worthy opponent. Okay, so the woman didn't get a lot of ring-time, and she typically spent her time dancing around with Brodus Clay and Tensai, but that didn't change the fact that she had some skills. Not enough skills to win the match tonight, but still... She was better than a lot of women in the company.

Tossing the divas' championship over her shoulder, Eve headed for the door to the locker room, figuring now was as good a time as any to slip out... Most of the other women were still talking about the way the show had ended, shaking their heads over what AJ Lee had done. Doing exactly what AJ wanted people to do - make it all about her. Whatever. Eve didn't care. The little brat could keep throwing people off of high objects as long as it didn't cause problems for Eve. And really... Given her own problems with the leader of the Cenation, Eve couldn't say she hadn't enjoyed watching the man take the fall tonight.

With a shake of her head, Eve continued on her way, her title over one shoulder, the strap of her bag over the other. She'd showered and changed after her match, so she was dressed in her street clothes now, the diva wearing jeans and a tunic-style shirt, her jacket pulled on over it. She also had on a pair of kick-ass ankle boots she'd found while shopping the other day. They were kind of hell on her feet, but they looked fantastic... Enough so that she'd seen Natalya - whose love for shoes was well-known - looking at them earlier with what could only be called envy. In fact, the look Nattie had given the shoes wasn't much different than the one Eve had seen her occasionally give to the divas' title.

"Someone looks smug," a voice said from nearby, and Eve turned to see the current WWE champion standing a few feet away. He was leaning heavily on the crutches he had, and Eve frowned slightly as she looked at him.

"How's the knee?" she asked, ignoring his comment, and he arched a brow at her.

"You asking for the administration, or because you actually want to know?"

The divas' champion rolled her eyes. "I'm part of the SmackDown administration, and you basically never appear on that show even when you have two good knees. I was just curious, but if you don't want to answer-"

"I'll probably be okay in a few weeks. Thank you for asking," Punk interrupted her. His gaze flicked to the title belt that she carried over her shoulder. "Congratulations on your title defense, by the way."

"Thanks," she replied, meeting the man's eyes for a moment longer, then taking a step back. "See you at RAW tomorrow?"

"I'll be there," Punk answered, making a waving gesture with one of his crutches that she supposed was meant to be the same thing as actually waving goodbye, the man then heading off down the hallway where Paul Heyman seemed to be waiting for him. Eve watched him go for a moment, then went on her own way, the diva finding herself passing by some of the trainers' rooms... Her stride slowing when she saw a figure sitting outside of one of the rooms.

Dean Ambrose.

The Shield member had turned a steel folding chair so that he was straddling the seat, his arms resting along the back of it as he sat there, just outside the door to the main trainers' room. The door was closed, but Eve had a pretty good idea of who was likely behind that door. After all, Seth Rollins had taken a hell of a hit toward the end of the Shield's match... As Reigns and Ambrose had headed back to the ring to take care of Daniel Bryan and get the pin to win the match, Rollins had been left on top of a ladder, preparing to jump off and put Ryback through a table. Unfortunately for him, Ryback had recovered enough to get off the table and chase him further up the ladder, the big man catching up to Rollins and yanking him off the ladder and through a stack of tables. It had been a nasty blow, the impact hard to watch, and even though Eve had pasted a smile on her face minutes later to go out there for her own match, she'd been inwardly cringing as she thought about the bump that Rollins had taken. The guy had looked pretty out of it, too, not even able to stand at first, and Ambrose and Reigns had ended up having to help him to the back.

"How is he?" Eve asked as she came to stand in front of the man, the fact that Ambrose actually jerked slightly at her question making it clear that he hadn't noticed her walking up to him.

Looking up at her, he pushed his hair out of his face. "What?"

"I'm assuming you're sitting here waiting for Rollins," she said calmly, her gaze moving over him. His hair was a bit of a mess, the dirty blond strands more or less dry now and in seriously need of a good brushing, and he was still dressed in what he'd wrestled in... The all-black outfit that made a person think of some sort of a SWAT team or something. The vest he'd had on at the beginning of the match was gone, but Eve was pretty sure that had actually happened at some point during the match. He hadn't taken it off after. In fact, she kind of got the feeling he hadn't done much more than head to the trainers after the match was over with.

Ambrose shrugged. "He took a pretty nasty hit, but he claims he's okay," the man said, shaking his head. "We should have made sure that Ryback was really out."

"From what I could see, it looked like he told you guys he could handle it. It's not your fault, and I doubt he blames anyone besides Ryback for what happened," Eve replied, and Ambrose gave a slight nod, leaning forward in his seat, his chin resting against his arms as he looked up at her. His gaze flicked to the title belt that was slung over her shoulder.

"I kind of missed watching your match," he said, and Eve shrugged. It wasn't like she expected the man to have watched it. This was only the second time they'd ever spoken and, in reality, she didn't have any real reason to have come up to him now... Other than the fact that she'd sort of wanted to. But no, she didn't expect him to have watched her match, especially since hers had been right after his match and well... Odds were that Rollins had been with the trainers pretty much since the Shield's match had ended.

"Yeah, well, I think half the arena missed my match because they were too busy mentally reliving yours," she replied, and the man winced slightly at that. She rolled her eyes. "That was meant as a compliment, by the way. You guys pretty much stole the show and proved to everyone how much you belong here."

He looked up at her. "Thanks. Considering the fact that you still have that title belt hanging over your shoulder, I'm guessing you won your match, too?"

"Got the pin and the win... I'm sure the divas' locker room was so very upset about that," she said with a roll of her eyes. She knew the other divas - for the most part anyway - didn't like her very much. Eve just didn't particularly care about it.

"They're just pissed they can't seem to take that from you," Ambrose replied, gesturing toward the belt, then flicking a look toward the closed trainers' room door. "Thanks for askin' if he's okay. You're the first person in the so-called administration to come by." He arched a brow. "You draw the short straw again or something?"

"I'm here on my own behalf. I haven't seen Booker or any of the other big-shots since before the show started. I wasn't on duty as the assistant tonight because I had a match of my own," she said, and he nodded, the man looking up at her again, shifting slightly in his seat, and it wasn't until she felt his arm brush against her elbow - likely by accident - that she realized just how close she was standing to the chair he was sitting on. Close enough to touch, anyway. Close enough that he was having to crane his neck a bit to look up at her from his seated position.

"Well, it's appreciated. Because I'm pretty sure you're the only one in the administration that gives a damn."

"They should give a damn. If not because they're lousy people otherwise, then because you guys put on a hell of a show out there tonight. I'd say it was by far the best match of the night."

"We aim to please," Ambrose replied, the man finally rising from his seat... Really just standing in the same spot, his legs still straddling the chair. His stance, combined with the heeled boots she was wearing, once again left them fairly close to the same height. He arched a brow at her, his gaze moving over her face, landing on her lips for just a shade too long. "Not that I don't appreciate the concern, but... If you weren't sent here by the big-wigs, then why are you here?" he wanted to know, meeting her eyes as he spoke.

Eve looked away for a moment, away from his intense gaze, then looked at him once more, the woman meeting his eyes. "I'm not really sure. I saw you sitting here, and I just... I thought I'd ask, and..." She trailed off, shrugging because there really wasn't an answer. She'd never even spoken to Seth Rollins before, and she knew that, if it had been Roman Reigns sitting here, she wouldn't have come up to him. But it had been Ambrose that was there, and now... Here she was, standing in front of him, and... And now she'd just caught herself looking at his mouth again, much like she had the first time they'd talked. And of course, from the look on his face, he was well aware of where she'd been looking. This time, however, she managed to keep herself from leaning toward him. Not that she'd have to lean very far; his face was just a few inches from hers.

He smirked at her. "Is there something else that you want, Eve?" he asked, his own gaze sliding to her mouth, and she fought to keep herself from tossing the question right back at him. Before she could decide what to say instead, however, the door to the trainers' room finally opened, one of the trainers sticking his head out, and Eve took a step back, gesturing toward the door.

"I think they're ready for you now," she said, meeting his eyes one last time before turning and heading down the hallway, a quick glance back telling her that instead of watching her walk away, Ambrose had stepped into the trainers' room to get the verdict on his tag team partner.

She tried not to be disappointed by that.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer, etc., in part 1.

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Part Three

_***Monday Night RAW - December 24, 2012***_

Eve made a face as she adjusted the collar of the shirt she was wearing, the divas' champion shaking her head slightly as she looked in the mirror. Despite the fact that she'd competed in various 'Santa's Little Helper' type matches over her years with the company, she'd never particularly cared for them. After all, it wasn't as if they asked the guys to dress up in silly costumes and go out there and perform. Well, okay, there was one time way back when that William Regal had ended up in some sort of showgirl costume for a RAW roulette match, but that was forever ago and was just one time she could think of. There were dozens of silly costumed matches that the she could think of that had happened for the divas over that span of time. It wasn't uncommon to have costumed matches around Halloween, either... But she supposed it could have been worse. She could have been around during the time that there were gravy bowl matches or whatever for Thanksgiving. The thought of wrestling in whatever that slop had been? Just... Ew.

So, yeah, while she wasn't a fan of the Santa's Little Helper matches that seemed to happen every year, Eve totally acknowledged that things could be worse... That still didn't mean she had to like it. Nor did she have to like who she was partnered with for the eight-diva tag that night. Tamina was okay for the most part, though she really didn't seem to like much of anybody, but Rosa Mendes was pretty much a disaster in the ring and always had been (Eve didn't think the woman had ever won a singles match, and if she had, it had probably been by DQ or something), and Eve just didn't trust Aksana after everything that had happened that fall. The woman was completely two-faced and a total liar and Eve knew that until she had proof that Aksana had somehow set her up to take the fall for what had happened to Kaitlyn, well... There was really nothing she could do about it, which sucked, but it was what it was.

And now she had to team with Aksana tonight. Oh joy.

With a roll of her eyes, Eve stepped back from the mirror so she could get a better look at herself... The white wrestling boots with red socks, the white shorts... The red shirt with the white fake fur collar. She looked good, and she knew it, and while it was festive it wasn't exactly a goofy little elf costume or 'Mrs. Santa' dress, so at least there was that. She went with the theme, but she was still wearing something that at least resembled her usual wrestling gear.

"Whatever," she muttered, the woman reaching for her divas' championship, then heading for the door, not wanting to spend any more time than she had to around the other divas. Natalya was actually standing in the corner glaring at her at the moment, which was just childish and petty. The woman just didn't like the fact that Eve had the title and she didn't... Of course, she knew what really irked the third-generation wrestler was that, while Eve was currently in her third reign with the divas' title, Natalya, who had been wrestling far longer than her and was so very proud of her pedigree... Well, Natalya had still only had one divas' title reign, and that reign had ended nearly two years before. Yeah, the older diva was definitely bitter about that.

Pausing on her way out the door, Eve sent Natalya a look, arching a brow at her. "You might want to take a picture. It lasts longer," she said, then slipped out the door before the other woman could sputter a response, Eve shaking her head as she started down the hallway, the title belt draped over her shoulder.

Flicking a look upward, Eve rolled her eyes as she caught sight of the mistletoe hanging overhead, the ribbons on it draped over an exposed pipe. Rumor had it that Zack Ryder - the moron - had put them all around the arena, hoping to catch one of the divas underneath it, but it hadn't turned out so well for him when the diva that he'd caught under it had been a very annoyed Tamina. Supposedly, he had a bruised jaw from a rather nasty punch from the woman... Which, really, Eve saw as just another reason for her to be perfectly okay with Tamina. Any woman that caused Zack Ryder physical pain was okay in her book, especially since the guy still continued to harass her from time to time. Name-calling or cat-calls, it didn't really matter. He was a loser just the same. But now he was a loser with a bruised jaw, which at least meant there was a bit of a silver lining or whatever.

That thought in mind, Eve turned the corner, still holding onto her title, a stutter in the woman's step when she saw the trio of men that were coming down the hall in the other direction... The Shield. She'd only ever spoken to one of them - Dean Ambrose a couple of times over the past few weeks - and that had been enough for her... or so she told herself, anyway. She knew they were dangerous - the whole of the WWE knew that - but so far, that danger had been kept to the men. They'd never once attacked a woman, never shown any inclination to do so (which actually made them a bit better than some of the supposed good guys that were in the WWE), so instead of turning and heading in the other direction like she wanted to, Eve forced herself to continue on her way down the hall despite the fact that it would mean she would have to pass by the men.

As she came closer to them, Eve noted the moment that they actually noticed her... Seth Rollins's eyes widened slightly when he saw her, probably because of what she was wearing. Roman Reigns merely arched a brow, giving her the slightest of nods, but Dean Ambrose actually paused when he saw her, a smile crossing the man's face as he looked at her. She met his gaze for a moment, then quickly looked straight ahead again, the diva continuing to make her way down the hall... She could hear the men saying something as she passed, low voices as they spoke to each other, some of the tension slipping from her shoulders as she walked by them without incident, the diva turning another corner, not really sure where she was going...

But suddenly sure that someone was following her.

Stopping abruptly, Eve turned, spinning around to face whoever it was that was coming up behind her, the diva's eyes widening in surprise when she saw that it was Dean Ambrose. And okay, maybe she shouldn't have been too surprised by his presence... After all, she had just passed by the Shield, but none of them had seemed inclined to speak to her, much less follow her, and really... She had nothing to do with any of them. She'd figured that if anyone was following her, it would be one of her tag team partners for tonight, or maybe Teddy Long or Zack Ryder approaching her to call her a litany of names that no one but them seemed to think was funny.

Ambrose slowed down as he approached - not that he was walking that quickly anyway - the man looking her up and down, much as he had when she'd tracked him down a few weeks before to tell him what the Shield's match for the TLC pay-per-view would be... A show that was over now, the match results in the books. She'd successfully defended the divas' title that night, beating Naomi. Her match had been directly after the Shield's match. A match that the Shield had won, the trio of men showing just how good they could be. All those whispers that the Shield could only take people down by a sneak attack had faded away, the three men not just winning, but doing so convincingly. They'd had the upper hand over Ryback and Team Hell No - the current tag team champions - for much of the match.

But that wasn't the issue now. The issue was that, for some reason, Dean Ambrose had left his partners and was instead following her down the hall.

Eve arched a brow at the man. "Can I help you?" she asked, shifting to lean against the wall as she spoke, hoping she looked casual, though she didn't really feel it.

He smirked at her. "Nice outfit," he told her, and Eve rolled her eyes.

"Well, you know how it is... 'Tis the season to make the divas compete in ridiculous clothing," she replied, and he shook his head slightly, his gaze moving over her again.

"Trust me, Princess, that outfit looks anything but ridiculous on you," he said, coming to stand in front of her, looming over her... Making Eve very aware of the difference in their height. The first time she'd spoken to him, she'd been in her business clothes, which had included a pair of heels that tacked almost four inches onto her height, and he'd been seated for much of their second encounter and now... Well, now they were both standing, and she was in wrestling boots, which meant that she didn't have anything added to her height, making it all too easy to notice that Dean Ambrose was actually several inches taller than her. "You look... Very, very good."

"Well, I try," she said, tilting her head slightly as she looked up at him. She still didn't know why it was that Ambrose had stopped her and, to tell the truth, she wasn't sure he had an actual reason besides wanting to approach her. But if he wanted to talk, she supposed she could oblige him. He might be dangerous, but he was a very interesting sort of dangerous, and so far, he'd done nothing to make her think he was actually dangerous to her. Not physically, anyway.

"And we all appreciate the effort," he said, flicking a look down the hallway, the two of them watching in silence as two of their coworkers headed down another hall, Ambrose arching a brow when Santino Marella stopped and pointed to something overhead, Layla then rolling her eyes and giving the man a quick kiss before heading on her way. "What's that about?"

Eve gave a slight smile. "Mistletoe. Someone - Zack Ryder, according to rumor - apparently decorated the arena with mistletoe all over the place. I've seen a few sprigs of it hanging in the halls." Her slight smile grew into a smirk. "I guess he figured it was the only way he could get a kiss."

"How'd that work out for him?"

"Rumor has it that Tamina punched him in the face, so I'm thinking not too well," Eve replied, earning a smile from Ambrose, the man then turning his attention back to her... Arching a brow, he reached out, putting his hands on either side of her, towering over her as Eve stood there with her back pressed against the wall. Oddly enough, she didn't feel threatened.

"How do you think that would work out for me?" he wanted to know, and Eve made a show of looking up above their heads, then back at Dean.

"There's no mistletoe over our heads," she said, and he smirked again, leaning in toward her.

"Do we really need it?" the man asked, his eyes on hers, and it was on the tip of her tongue to say that no, they didn't need it, but somehow she stopped herself... Though she couldn't stop herself from considering his words, nor could she stop herself from locking eyes with him, not moving as he shifted closer to her... So close that his lips were hovering maybe an inch from hers, the man stopping there, and it took Eve a moment to realize that he was waiting for her to finish closing the distance... For her to make the decision to kiss him.

Taking a deep breath, Eve eased herself closer to him, closing that last little bit of distance between their lips... Then froze at the sound of someone calling her name.

"Eve! We need to talk about the match tonight!" a voice that she was pretty sure belonged to Tamina called down the hallway, the woman seemingly not caring what she'd just interrupted... Ambrose putting some distance between himself and Eve, though she still had to duck beneath his arm to get away from the wall.

"What is it, Tamina?"

"What is it? We're stuck with Rosa Mendes and Aksana as partners, that's what it is," the older woman said, and Eve nodded, then looked back at Ambrose.

"I really need to go... I... I just need to go," she told him, barely waiting for his nod before she headed off with the other diva... All too aware that, much like the first time she'd had an encounter with Dean Ambrose, he was watching her as she walked away... The divas' champion glancing back once as she headed off, meeting his gaze, then hurrying away with Tamina, uncertain of what would have happened if the woman hadn't interrupted them... And not entirely sure whether she should be mad about the interruption, or grateful for it.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer, etc., in part 1.

* * *

Part Four

_***December 31, 2012 - After RAW; WWE New Year's Eve party***_

Eve made a face as she stood against the wall, the diva reaching down to adjust the short skirt of her dress, her gaze moving over the large rented hotel ballroom that was being used for the party. She wasn't thrilled with having to be there, not at all. Unfortunately, the WWE's New Year's party was basically mandatory. True, the big-wigs claimed that it *wasn't* mandatory, but that was only in one of those 'we're not saying you *have* to be there, but if you aren't, you better have a damn good excuse* sort of ways. As in, only someone seriously ill or injured was off the hook for this one tonight... Which really sucked, since her coworkers were some of the last people that Eve Torres wanted to party with. Not that there was any actual partying going on. Not on her part. She was mostly just standing there giving people the evil eye whenever it seemed they might want to approach her. And she'd definitely seen the looks... Mostly from guys that believed the crap that Zack Ryder liked to spread about her. Things that anyone with a brain would know weren't for real. After all, if Zack Ryder had ever gotten what he'd wanted from her, he likely would have ended up a lot less cranky. Eve was pretty sure that the real reason Ryder kept trying to trash her even now - nearly nine months since she'd shown him what she really thought about him at WrestleMania - was because she'd not only gotten one over on him and made him look like a fool, but he'd also never gotten anything more than a kiss from her... And that one kiss, the only time she'd ever kissed him, had just been to get him to play right into her hands. He felt like an idiot, and rightfully so, and he just couldn't seem to let it go. The man had even tried to find a way to blame her for the fact that Tamina had punched him the week before during the whole mistletoe incident... Like she'd told Tamina to do it or something. Which, hello, no she hadn't, because if she had, then she would have liked to have actually been there to see the punching happen. Duh.

Shaking her head, Eve pushed herself away from the wall, the woman giving death looks to everyone that looked like they might approach her as she headed over to the punch bowls... The divas' champion frowning as she looked down at the bright red liquid. One bowl was labeled as non-alcoholic, the other one marked as having alcohol, listing what had been added to it, but Eve was hesitant to try either of them anyway. After all, this was the WWE, where grown men never quite acted like they'd ever actually grown up, and despite the fact that there was already punch with alcohol in it, she wouldn't put it past some of the bigger jerks in the company to add booze to the one that wasn't supposed to have that sort of crap in it. After all, for some of these guys, life wasn't fun unless they were being jerks... And spiking someone's drink definitely fell into the 'jerk' category.

"There's bottled water, too. You know... For the people that don't know how to have fun," a snide voice said, someone clearly having noticed Eve's hesitancy to grab a drink from either punch bowl, and Eve arched a brow as she looked over at the person that had spoken to her. Cameron. Of course. The worthless cheerleader and dancer that had a lot of attitude and very little ability.

"If you require alcohol to have fun, then I question your idea of fun," Eve said, turning to smirk at the other woman, gesturing toward the cup of red liquid in her hand. "With alcohol, I assume?"

"I can handle my booze."

"I'm sure you can." She arched a brow. "I wonder how many people spit in that punch bowl before you got your drink?" she questioned, then smiled at Cameron's confused look. "You didn't know?"

"Know what?"

"Oh, it's just something some of the guys like to do. Well, I *hope* it's just spit this time," Eve said, then made her way around the other diva, smirking as she passed her, very aware that Cameron was internally debating whether or not to believe what Eve had just said. As far as Eve knew, none of it was true, but that didn't mean it *couldn't* be true. She'd heard of some pretty nasty things ending up in punch bowls from time to time (mostly when she was in college), and she'd pretty much always had an aversion to drinking out of them since then.

Shaking her head, Eve continued on her way... Stopping when a can of Diet Coke suddenly came into her field of vision. Blinking, she turned to look at the person that was holding it out to her.

"Nice work on that one. I think you've got that one thinking about every possible nasty thing that could be in that drink she's holding. So... I totally applaud you," Dean Ambrose told her, then lifted the can a little. "You going to take this, or am I just going to keep standing here looking like an idiot?" he asked, and Eve smiled a little at that, a rude quip on the tip of her tongue, but she held it back, mostly because she didn't really know the man standing in front of her, and she wasn't sure what it would take to piss him off.

Reaching out, she took the offered can. "Diet Coke? You think I need it?"

He snorted. "I saw you looking at the punch bowls a minute ago, so I'm guessing you need a drink. A diet drink? Hell, no, you don't *need* that. But I've seen women that are basically stick figures drinking the stuff, and they don't need it, either." He gestured across the room. "It was over there, by the way. For people that know the gross things that others sometimes do in punch bowls. Though I'm not sure I pictured you as the type to know about those things."

"And you seem like the type to at some point been the one that was *doing* those things," she said, then shrugged. "I went to college. I was in a sorority, and trust me when I say that I saw a lot of things that just can't be unseen, including disgusting things in punch bowls. I learned early to always bring my own drink and never let it out of my sight. I was very boring at parties," Eve informed him, and he snorted.

"Somehow I doubt that," the wrestler replied, lifting the bottle of beer he had in his hand and taking a long drink. Lowering the bottle again, he let his gaze move over her... Something that Eve took as an invitation to let her own gaze move over him. His hair was slicked back, much like it usually was for the shows, but he definitely wasn't dressed in his wrestling gear. He wasn't really dressed up, either - most of the men weren't - but she couldn't say that he didn't look good in the jeans and white button-up that he was wearing. It made him look like a normal guy instead of the dangerous member of the Shield that she knew him to be.

"Okay, so I was very boring at parties where I didn't trust most of the people there... Which included several frat parties that I went to when I was in college and, yeah... Quite possibly this party tonight."

"Is this really a party, though? I don't think it can be called a party if we're all forced to be here," Ambrose replied, and Eve couldn't exactly disagree with that. Yes, some people seemed to be having a good time, but there were still plenty of people that were just standing around glaring at each other. A basically mandatory party where half the people there hated each other was pretty much asking for a fight to break out at some point. Eve could only hope that she was at least at minimum safe distance when the fighting started. For his part, Ambrose seemed to have a similar thought, because the man headed around the refreshment table toward the wall, gesturing for Eve to follow and, despite the little voice in her head telling her that it probably wasn't the brightest of ideas to spend any amount of time with this man, Eve followed him, very aware that there were several people that were noticing them together. Not that she really cared about that... She didn't really give a damn what her coworkers thought of her. And it wasn't like she hadn't spoken to Ambrose in public before... Though that was usually at the arenas, and people hadn't really seen them. Still, people easily *could have* seen them.

Ambrose leaned against the wall beside her, the man's gaze moving over her again. "You look good, by the way. Really good. Maybe not as good as you looked last week in that Santa's Little Helper outfit, but you know... It's not like you could wear that again."

Eve arched a brow at him. "You just wish I would?"

"Hell yeah," he replied, taking another drink of his beer, and Eve rolled her eyes, then let her gaze travel over the crowd in the room... Not just the wrestlers and divas filled the ballroom... Stagehands, technicians, referees, and various other guests were there as well. It was entirely possible that some fans had managed to sneak in, too. But with the dim lighting and the sheer number of bodies there, it was impossible to tell. She did, however, spot Ambrose's fellow Shield members in the room, the two of them seated at a table, basically ignoring everyone else as they sat there seemingly playing cards. Clearly, they were as enthused about being there as Eve was... But at least they weren't trying to powerbomb someone through the dessert table. Yet.

"How long are we expected to stick around here, anyway?" Ambrose wanted to know, his own gaze moving over the crowd, the man looking none too impressed with the party that the company's bigshots had put together.

"I'd guess until at least midnight, what with it being New Year's and all," Eve said, then looked over at the man. "Why? You have other plans?"

"You interested in being part of them if I do?" he wanted to know, and the diva arched a brow at him.

"You offering?"

"You saying yes?" Ambrose countered with a smirk, and Eve laughed.

"Are you going to keep answering a question with a question?" she tossed back, and Ambrose's smirk shifted into a wide smile.

"Are you?" he questioned, and Eve rolled her eyes, looking away from him for a moment, then letting her gaze go back to the man that was beside her, surprised to find him watching her intently.

She arched a brow at him. "You know, you should just be glad you're not one of the divas. The women are seriously outnumbered by the men at company parties like this, and with it being New Year's... I'm guessing several of us are planning on ducking and covering when midnight rolls around."

"Don't want any of the common people trying to steal a kiss?"

"You could say that," she replied, and he smirked.

"Maybe I could protect you."

"Maybe I can protect myself."

"I don't doubt that," Ambrose said, smirking again as he moved closer to her, his gaze moving over her face. "But if I were to kiss you... I'd say that most anyone out there with a brain would avoid you, if only to try and avoid getting powerbombed through the announce table at some time in the near future."

Eve took a sip of her Diet Coke. "That is, of course, assuming that *I* would kiss *you*," she said, and Ambrose arched a brow.

"You've thought about it."

"Maybe."

"And I've definitely thought about it. Way I remember it, you were just about to kiss me when we were so unfortunately interrupted last week," he said, moving even closer to her, so close that he was pretty much all she could see, and Eve was pretty sure that he was going to kiss her in a minute, and she was completely sure that she was going to kiss him back-

"Get back here, you asshole!" another voice shouted then, and before Dean could do much more than whirl around to see what was going on, there was a loud crash as two men that appeared to be Ryback and the Big Show went slamming into the nearest table, knocking it over... and sending a spray of punch all over everything... Including Eve's dress and shoes.

"What the hell?!" she sputtered, trying to get out of the way, but the floor was wet and she was near the wall, and Ambrose had to reach out and grab her arm to keep her upright. The only good news was that she wasn't wearing white, and the punch hadn't hit her in the face.

"You okay?"

"I'm covered in punch," Eve managed, looking down at herself, then at Ambrose. She had been closer to the table, which meant she'd got the worst of it. He had some punch on the legs of his jeans, but nothing compared to her. Shaking her head, she carefully stepped back. "I've got to get out of here."

"Eve-"

"We'll talk later," the diva said with a shake of her head, not sure whether she wanted to cry or scream - this wasn't the first time she'd ended up covered in punch at a WWE party, though at least this time it wasn't televised - and, to his credit, Ambrose let her go. Maybe he saw something on her face that made him think it was for the best, she didn't know. Whatever the case, he let her go, the man watching as she turned and walked away, her head held high as she headed for the door, no longer caring that she was supposed to stick around until midnight... Though she did feel a bit bad about leaving Ambrose behind. Truth be told, she wouldn't have minded kissing him at midnight. Kind of liked the idea, actually. But that was before her dress and legs and shoes were covered in whatever was in that stupid punch. It wasn't like she wouldn't have another chance to kiss him... One when she wasn't covered in punch and getting colder by the minute. After all, in the past few weeks, she'd nearly kissed him on four separate occasions. There would be another chance soon enough.

Too bad she was wrong about that.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer, etc., in part 1.

* * *

Part Five

_***August 16, 2013 - pre-SummerSlam party***_

She stood there in silence, her gaze moving over the crowd as she stayed quietly in the corner. It was odd being back... She felt like a kid on the first day of school or something... Or maybe that wasn't entirely accurate. After all, on the first day of school, most everybody was in the same boat. They'd all been out for the summer and really hadn't seen each other that much. This, well... This wasn't quite the same. After all, pretty much everyone else out there - the WWE employees, anyway - still saw each other three or four days a week as they did RAW and SmackDown and the various live events. Eve, on the other hand, hadn't seen many of them since the middle of January, when she'd unceremoniously quit the company. Her contract had been up (something most people hadn't known), and she'd been sick and tired of Kaitlyn being handed title shot after title shot, Booker T and Teddy Long totally trying to undermine her championship run and clearly wanting Kaitlyn to be the one to take it from her. Well, she'd just been done with that, so she'd quit, and then Kaitlyn had been champion and things hadn't really gone so well for her. She'd disappeared from television for weeks it seemed, barely defending the title, then losing it in June. The only reason her title run had lasted until then was because she'd only defended it a couple of times between January and June. It was kind of sad, really.

But that wasn't the point. The point was that she was standing here, at a WWE party, about eight months after leaving the company... And feeling more than a little overwhelmed by it.

The thing was, she'd done some work for the WWE since leaving the company. After she'd quit, the powers that be - Triple H and Stephanie, mostly - had given her some time to cool down, then they'd approached her... First to sign a new contract and, when she'd declined that, they'd offered her something else... The chance to do some of the charity work and appearances for the company that she'd done in the past, but not actually be a wrestler. She'd accepted the deal, and she'd actually gone and visited a military base on Guam for the WWE since then, as well as a few other things... Including some charity work in the week leading up to SummerSlam. She'd visited a children's hospital the day before, and she'd even done so with some current members of the roster... But this was the first time that she'd been around the entire roster since January. It was a little weird, and she hated to admit it, a little daunting as well.

Taking a deep breath, the former diva - the first and only woman to have won the divas' title on three separate occasions - stepped out of the corner she'd been in, her gaze sliding over the people that were there. When she'd first made her appearance, she'd exchanged inane pleasantries with Natalya since the woman was doing the interviews as people came in, and she'd actually had a decent conversation with Brie Bella as well, but other than that, she'd basically kept to herself. It was just so... strange... being there. She'd been a part of SummerSlam week before, doing signings and going to charity events and parties, but it was different this time around. She was on the outside looking in, not really a part of things any longer. She was an outsider.

She wasn't sure how she felt about that.

Whatever she felt, she was here now, at the company's pre-SummerSlam party, the roster members and some celebrities scattered throughout. Scanning the crowd, she caught sight of Kaitlyn, smirking slightly when the woman scowled at her, then went back to practically hanging off of Dolph Ziggler, the man that would be her partner for a mixed tag match at SummerSlam, the two of them facing Big E and AJ. Not too surprising to see Kaitlyn practically draped over him like that, really. From what Eve knew, back when Dolph had been with Vickie Guerrero and Vickie had been Kaitlyn's pro for NXT season three, Kaitlyn and Dolph had a bit of a thing going on, and now it seemed that she wanted to get it started again... Or, at least, she wanted to piss off Dolph's ex-girlfriend AJ Lee. Odds were that Dolph was perfectly okay with that, too, seeing as AJ seemed intent on trying to make his life miserable now that he'd dumped her. It just seemed juvenile to Eve, and another reason why she was glad to be away from a lot of the people in the WWE... They just never seemed to grow up.

Shaking her head, Eve turned away from where Kaitlyn and Dolph were, the brunette making her way to the bar and ordering a Diet Coke, watching intently as it was poured, then reaching out and taking it with a thanks. A glance around told her that several of her former coworkers were taking advantage of the alcoholic portion of the open bar, and she vaguely wondered how many of them might end up with a hangover in the morning... Not to mention the fact that there was always at least one person that managed to make an idiot of themselves at something like this. She and some of the other divas - usually Lilian Garcia, Alicia Fox, and maybe one or two others - used to make bets about who would end up making a fool of themselves. Eve supposed the bets could still be going on, but she wasn't a part of them this time around.

With a deep breath, Eve stepped back from the bar, her Diet Coke in hand, the former diva turning and heading toward a less crowded area... Freezing when she saw the man standing about twenty feet away from her, his gaze locked on her, a bottle in his hand that was likely a beer. As she watched, he took a sip of it, his gaze moving over her. She got the feeling he'd been watching her for a little while, probably since she'd walked up to get her drink. Maybe before then. The funny thing was, this was the first time she'd seen him tonight. The first time she'd seen him in person in... Months. Since the night she'd left the company, though she hadn't spoken to him then. She hadn't actually spoken to him since the night of another party... A party where she'd ended up getting punch all over her dress and shoes and had left early.

As he noted that her attention was now on him, Dean Ambrose arched a brow, then tilted his head to the side, gesturing toward an alcove nearby... Clearly, he wanted her to follow him there. After a moment, Eve nodded slightly, then headed over, Ambrose making his way over as well, the two of them getting there at approximately the same time, the former diva leaning against the wall and gazing at him as she took a drink.

"Didn't expect to see you here," he said after a moment, and Eve shrugged.

"I was invited. I did some appearances for the company this week and, well... They thought it would be nice if I came to the party, too."

"And you look so happy to have been included, too," the man said, and Eve smiled slightly at that, looking over at him. In the time since she'd been gone, the Shield had made even more of a name for themselves. They were champions now, had been for a few months... Rollins and Reigns held the tag team titles while Ambrose was the United States champion. And they were still the most dangerous group in the WWE. But here she was with Ambrose anyway, despite the fact that he was more than a little dangerous. He hadn't done anything to her when she was a part of the WWE, and she doubted he would start now that she wasn't.

"It's different," Eve finally stated, the woman aware that he was waiting for her to say something. "I'm not really a part of it any longer. My decision, of course. But still... It's strange."

He nodded slightly, frowning a bit before speaking. "You here with anybody?" he wanted to know, and Eve arched a brow at that, realizing that if she said that yes, she was here with someone, he would walk away. The truth was, it wasn't so long ago that she had been involved with someone (though that had only lasted a month or so because the guy had turned out to be a jerk - thank goodness she'd figured it out before it got serious), but now...

"No. I'm not with anyone," Eve told him, and he nodded, looking satisfied with her answer, seemingly to take it in the way that she'd meant it... That she wasn't just not with anyone at this particular party... She wasn't with anyone at all. Arching a brow, she looked at him. "What about you?"

"Do my tag team partners count? 'Cause we showed up together, and probably spend way too much time together. Right now, I'm pretty sure Roman is currently trying to keep Seth from jumping off something really high up. Either that, or Roman's staring in a mirror somewhere trying to make sure that his hair looks perfect, and if that's the case, Seth will probably be jumping off something soon, because there's no one around to stop him," he said, then shrugged when Eve gave him a look. "What? The guy has issues."

"I think that statement could be made about many of the people that work for this company," Eve replied, drawing a smile from the man standing in front of her.

"You got a point there," Ambrose told her, then surprised her, the wrestler reaching out with his free hand to lightly tug on a lock of her hair. "You cut your hair."

"I did. It's been awhile, actually. A lot easier to take care of this length," she said, and he gave her hair another slight tug.

"I like it," he stated, curling the lock of hair around his finger, then letting it go, his fingers drifting to her cheek, lightly touching her skin before he dropped his hand, clearing his throat as he lifted his bottle of beer and took a drink. "You know, it's weird."

"What's weird?" she wanted to know, and he shrugged.

"That it's been so long since I've seen you, and I'm still thinking the same thing I was the last time," he replied, his eyes on hers for a moment, but then Eve found her gaze drifting to his lips... Settling there for just a moment too long before she pulled her gaze back up, meeting his eyes. She wasn't sure if what she saw in his gaze at that moment was amusement or relief, or maybe a little bit of each. Whatever it was, he didn't seem to mind where her attention had briefly been drawn to.

"And what would that be?" the former diva wanted to know, and he smirked at her.

"I'm pretty sure it's the same thing that you're thinking about," he said, his gaze sliding to her lips for a moment before he stepped closer to her, the man smiling as he did so. Reaching up, he tucked some hair behind her ear. Eve tilted her head as she looked up at him.

"Pretty confident, aren't you?"

"Extremely," he replied, though the truth was, he gave her plenty of time to move away as he shifted closer to her... Perhaps too much time. Because, just before he actually managed to kiss her, just an instant before his lips met hers... Eve found herself being tugged away from him, the former diva letting out a yelp before spinning around and smacking the person that had grabbed her on the arm.

"What the hell was that?"

"You're needed to give an interview," RAW GM Brad Maddox informed her, and Eve couldn't help but glare at the man.

"Can't it wait?"

"Sorry, but no. Stephanie McMahon asked that I pull you aside. We can't leave her waiting, can we?" Maddox said, then turned to Ambrose. "You don't mind, do you?"

"Of course not," Ambrose said, though his tone implied the opposite, and Eve wouldn't be surprised if Maddox ended up the victim of a triple powerbomb or some sort of backstage attack in the very near future.

The Shield member's gaze returned to her. "I'll catch up with you later."

"I'd like that," Eve replied, jerking her arm away from Maddox when it seemed he might try and drag her away. "Touch me again, and I'll demonstrate the chokehold that once took down Matt Hardy," she informed him, giving the man a glare before following him to the waiting interviewer, the woman all too aware of the eyes that were watching her as she walked away.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer, etc., in part 1.

Thanks for the reviews for this one. Hope y'all enjoy the last part. :)

* * *

Part Six

_***December 9, 2013 - the Slammy Awards***_

Eve frowned slightly, the woman looking down at what she was supposed to say when she went out to present the award for Diva of the Year. She found it kind of amusing that the Bella twins were listed together... After all this time, the WWE still didn't seem to consider them separate people. Which was funny, really, because anyone that actually spent time with the two of them could see that they definitely *were* individuals, with sometimes very different personalities. And face it... Since they'd returned to the WWE, everyone could tell them apart anyway, even before they started wearing different ring gear.

Shaking her head, the former diva sighed, looking over the words again, then tucking the pages away, knowing that there would be a teleprompter to help her out anyway... The only show of the year that one was used, though she knew it wasn't uncommon for the presenters to go out there and say whatever they wanted anyway. That was probably one of the reasons they'd asked her to come back to present tonight... They figured she would do what she was supposed to do.

Eve wrinkled her nose up at that thought, pushing herself away from the wall, tucking her hair behind her ears as she looked around... Barely catching sight of someone barreling toward her before she was suddenly wrapped up in a hug.

"It's so good to see you!" Brie Bella declared, and Eve was struck once again by how much better she got along with certain people (such as Brie and her sister Nikki) now that they weren't working together. Amazing, really, that she had once been the person to remind them that their contract with the company was ending... and that John Laurinaitis - who Eve had been working for at the time - wasn't going to renew it.

Hard to believe that was more than a year and a half ago now.

"It's good to see you, too," Eve replied, returning the hug, then taking a step back... Brie doing the same.

"You look fantastic tonight. We're going to get together afterwards, right?" the woman asked, and Eve gave a slight shrug. It wasn't that she didn't like Brie; she did. She even liked Brie's fiancé Daniel Bryan. But hanging out with Brie often meant hanging out with Nikki, and that also possibly meant that John Cena would be included, and well... Eve just really didn't have any desire to be around that man and his juvenile tendencies.

"I thought we mentioned breakfast in the morning?" Eve asked, which was true enough. Granted, they'd mentioned it while direct messaging each other on Twitter several days before, but it still counted.

Brie looked confused at first, but then her expression cleared, the woman clearly remembering the conversation as well. "Oh, gosh, yes. You're right. Sorry... I forgot we'd already talked about that. We didn't say anything concrete, right?"

"It was pretty vague."

"Okay... Well, let me talk to Daniel, and then I'll text you, and we'll go out for breakfast in the morning. Is it cool if Daniel comes?"

"Of course it is," Eve told her, and Brie smiled, then stepped forward to hug her again.

"Still so good to see you, but I need to finish my makeup for tonight. I'll totally find you tonight or text you later so we can make plans, okay?"

"That works for me," Eve replied, watching as Brie hurried away, the diva headed toward where all the hair and makeup chairs were. For her part, Eve had actually done her own hair and makeup that night, only doing enough to make sure she would look okay on television.

Smoothing out the skirt of the long red dress that she was wearing, Eve turned to head down the hallway, not at all sure where she was going - she just didn't feel like staying where she was... But then she stopped short as she caught sight of someone standing in the hallway, watching her. Just like he'd been watching her back at the SummerSlam party in August. Only this time, instead of wearing jeans and a button-down and holding a beer, his hands were empty, his hair was slicked back, and he was dressed head-to-toe in black... A black suit, to be exact. To be honest, as she looked at him, the word 'wow' came to mind, though she didn't voice it.

Dean Ambrose smiled slightly as he took a few steps forward, closing the distance between them to a matter of just a few feet. "You know, last time we saw each other, before you were pulled away for an interview, I'd told you I'd catch up with you later."

"You did."

"I meant later that night, maybe later that weekend. But... I guess that didn't happen."

"Well, you were busy with signings and a title defense, and I was busy listening to Natalya whine about how she should be the divas' champion instead of AJ. I think I tuned her out after about ten minutes, though."

"I'm surprised you managed to make it that long," Ambrose replied, then gestured down the hall, clearly inviting her to walk with him. Since she wasn't exactly opposed to the idea, she fell into step beside him, the two of them heading down the hallway. She felt more than saw him flick a look her way. "You know, I was surprised when they announced you would be here as a presenter last week."

The former diva shrugged her shoulders. "The invitation was extended, and I chose to take it. Thought it might be interesting."

"The Slammys usually are," he said, a small smirk on his face, the man reaching up to adjust the tie that he wore. Eve arched a brow as she looked over at him.

"Seems like you dressed up for the occasion," she said, and he rolled his eyes.

"We're presenting an award. Best double-cross or whatever," Ambrose told her, stopping at a locker room door and gesturing for her to enter in front of him. With a shrug, she did, taking a look around what she suspected was the Shield's locker room... Though neither of his Shield teammates seemed to be there at the moment. "We were told that our ring gear wouldn't cut it, so... Suits it is."

"Well, I must say that you look good in it," Eve stated, and he shrugged, the man closing the door behind them, leaving the two of them alone. Eve couldn't say she minded. After all, it seemed that whenever they tried to talk in public, they kept getting interrupted... Often right as things were about to get interesting.

Not that she was thinking about that or anything. Not really.

"Speaking of looking good... I've got to say... You look pretty amazing. You know, I think you're more covered up than any other woman here - at least those that are planning to be seen on television tonight - but you still manage to look hotter than all of them," he told her, and Eve gaze a short laugh.

"Flattery will get you nowhere."

"Who says it's flattery?"

"Well, then maybe you're just biased."

"That might be a possibility. Or you could just be incredibly beautiful. Or both," he said, the man making his way over to her. "You know, it seems to me that, whenever the two of us have something on our minds... We have this bad habit of getting interrupted before we ever manage to put thoughts into actions."

"I've noticed that."

"And it's been going on for far too long," Ambrose continued. "And here I am right now, and I'm still wondering what it would be like to kiss you. Now am I alone in this, or...?"

"I can't say I've ever wondered what it would be like to kiss me," Eve said, and Ambrose shook his head, the man actually laughing.

"Well, now I've got that weird-ass image in my head... But you know that wasn't what I was getting at."

"I know," the former diva replied. "And I can't say that your curiosity is one-sided."

"Sometimes you're so damn proper-sounding. It's freaking adorable. And kind of a turn-on," Ambrose told her, then stepped closer to her, his eyes locked on hers. "I'm sick of wondering and just being curious."

"That makes two of us."

"I'm going to kiss you right now," he said, and Eve smirked at him.

"Well, I wish you'd get on with it instead of just talking about it," the woman replied, and Ambrose laughed before reaching out, his hand finding the back of her neck, his thumb brushing over her cheek as he stepped forward, his lips finding hers.

All Eve could think was *finally*.

It was interesting, really... How often she'd thought about the possibility of kissing this man. It seemed like every encounter she'd ever had with him led her to that thought and now... Now it was finally happening.

And he definitely wasn't a disappointment.

His hand slid from her neck, moving to her shoulder, then sliding down her arm, hooking around her waist to pull her closer. Eve's hands came up to find his shoulders, her fingers digging into the material of the suit jacket he wore as his mouth moved over hers, the two of them seemingly fighting for dominance.

Breaking the kiss, Ambrose looked down at her. "Why the hell did we wait so long to do that?"

"Kept getting interrupted. Last time it was Brad Maddox's fault."

"Yeah. Heard a rumor you decked him later. Never heard why."

"Trust me. He deserved it."

"Never said he didn't," Dean replied, pulling her in to kiss her again, lightly biting at her bottom lip, earning a low groan from the former diva. Eve felt his hand move up her back, starting to slide into her hair, but then he stopped himself, seemingly somehow still aware of the possibility of messing up her hair, his hand instead curling around the back of her neck, his other arm around her, sliding from her hip to her thigh, then back up again, wrapping tightly around her waist and pulling her to him... Eve mentally cursing the tight skirt of her ankle-length dress because it wasn't giving her any room to maneuver.

"Hey, Dean, I just- Never saw anything, I swear. My eyes are closed, and- ouch, damn it!"

The two of them froze at the sound of the voice, both of them breathing heavily as they broke the kiss, just staring at each other for a moment.

"I'm gonna kill him."

"In all fairness, I think this is his locker room, too," Eve said, managing to shift enough in Ambrose's arms to see that yes, it was a member of the Shield that had walked into the room... Seth Rollins, to be exact, the man rubbing at a spot on his back and glaring at the door. Eve had the distinct feeling that he'd hit the doorknob when he'd tried to back out of the room and leave them alone. As it was, the man still had one hand up, blocking his view of them, which the former diva couldn't help but find amusing.

"You know, we are fully clothed over here," the woman finally said, and Seth lowered his hand, arching a brow as he looked at her.

"Yeah, but I really didn't need to see Dean try to devour your face... Or whatever it was he was doing," Rollins replied, the man smiling when his words earned a rather rude gesture from his fellow Shield member.

"What do you want anyway, man?" Ambrose wanted to know, and Seth shrugged.

"They wanted to make sure we all knew what we were supposed to say out there tonight. But I'll just tell them that I couldn't find you and that I'm sure you can read a teleprompter," Rollins said, smoothing out a wrinkle in his suit jacket... Eve couldn't help but notice that his suit was identical to Dean's... She suspected Roman Reigns was dressed the same as well, and if that were the case, and the three members of the Shield walked out onto that stage decked out in suits and looking this good? The internet might just explode from the fangirling.

Dean pointed toward the door. "That would be a smart thing to do."

"Then I'll just go and do that," Rollins said, then sent a smile and a wave in Eve's direction. "Good to see you, Eve. Even though Dean's pretty much blocking my view of you," the wrestler stated, then ducked out of the room... Ambrose waiting just a moment before going to the door, making sure it was closed, then checking something on the handle.

"Needs a key to lock it," he muttered, then reached out, grabbing a metal folding chair and shoving it under the door, drawing a laugh from Eve. He merely arched a brow in response, then came back to where she was standing, wrapping one arm around her waist again. "Now... Where were we before that rude interruption?" he asked, and Eve smiled, reaching up to wrap an arm around his neck, lifting herself up on her toes, her lips just brushing his as she spoke.

"Right... about... here."

The End


End file.
